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President Bio, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf discuss Fragility Report

July 24, 2018

Former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and President Bio met at State House yesterday

Former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf met with President Julius Maada Bio yesterday at State House to discuss the fragility report on Sierra Leone and Liberia presented by the International Growth Center (IGC).

Madam Sirleaf, the only woman to have won the US$5 million Mo Ibrahim Award for achievement in African leadership, was accompanied by Jonathan Leape, Executive Director of the IGC in London and an Associate Professor at the London School of Economics (LSE).

The team informed President Bio that Sierra Leone and Liberia were vulnerable to fragility and instability, adding that if proper care was not taken to consolidate a lasting peace in the Mano River Union basin, the situation might lead to serious problems in future.

“Sierra Leone and Liberia share similar features about this fragility. This is the reason why the International Growth Center has drawn the attention of the two countries to quickly look into the recommendations in the report and find ways to address issues around political and economic growth in the two countries,” Leape warned.

President Bio thanked the IGC team and told them his government’s plans to work very hard and go beyond the foundation he inherited.

“I have carefully looked at the report and the recommendations proffered therein and we are trying to forge beyond the foundation that we met to making serious efforts at dealing with issues raised in the report,” President Bio assured.

The report guides policy to address state fragility by pointing to recent advances in research that policymakers and practitioners aren’t yet paying attention to, and to encourage new research by highlighting critical areas of knowledge missing about fragile and conflict situations.